While toys are typically considered to be play items for children, toys also serve a more important role. Namely, toys help to develop proficiency in motor, coordination, and thinking skills. With this in mind, some toys are designed expressly to aid in developing the minds and skills of children. Regardless, even toys that are designed specifically to entertain, routinely help improve the aforementioned skills.
In designing toys, a prime consideration is the age group for which a particular toy is directed. Toys intended for use by children under the age of one often provide sensory stimulation--triggered by the child--in the form of sound and light. One such toy, commonly known as a rattle, creates noise when moved by a child. As they grow older, children are introduced to toys for which simple rules govern play. These toys often develop skills through repetitive tasks. Eventually, a child may graduate to relatively complex board games and the like, in which detailed rules govern play. Such toys are typically designed for multiple users and have the further goal of building social skills.
Toys that are specifically intended for use by toddlers (children under the age of three) are designed to allow children to carry out elementary functions such as inserting, matching, piling, patterning, balancing, and the like. In turn, these toys typically consist of a collection of common objects such as blocks, rings, and pegs. Using such objects, a child is provided with tasks bounded by simple rules. For example, a goal may be to group objects having the same color, or to stack objects having the same shape.
The prior art is replete with examples of toys specifically intended for use by toddlers. A well known toy includes a rope along with rings and beads. The child threads the rings and/or beads on the rope in various patterns. Another toy that is well known in the prior art is a pegboard. Such a toy consists of a board, on which pegs are disposed, along with rings that are to be arranged on the pegs. As with the rope toy, the rings can be arranged in a pattern. Simple balances having a lever and fulcrum have also been used as toys. The lever of such a balance may include buckets in which weighted objects are to be placed, or in the alternative, pegs may be disposed on the balance to receive rings or other objects.
While the aforementioned educational toys are simple, it is unquestionable that they have vast importance in helping to develop the minds of toddlers. However, play with these individual toys becomes monotonous with time. While a group of these toys can be provided to a child, acquiring the toys separately is not economical. Instead, because such toys typically make use of similar components, a system of toy structures using a single set of components would provide better value to the purchaser of such a system.
With regard to the standard toddler toys discussed, novel variations have been disclosed in the prior art. However, none of these toys includes the ability to use toy components interchangeably with more than one of the standard toys. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,666 to Kang discloses a recreational toy including blocks having rectangular protrusions. The blocks have letters and symbols on their faces. A platform is also provided on which the blocks may be securely placed. However, the blocks and platform are designed to be used in one way and lack the flexibility to be used in conjunction with other types of toys.
The inflexibility of prior art toys for toddlers is also demonstrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,736 to Cogdill. This patent discloses an educational toy comprising a threaded shaft upon which blocks are rigidly fixed to opposite ends. Between the fixed blocks are blocks that are rotatable and otherwise moveable. In turn, the blocks can be aligned in various desired patterns. However, because the blocks are fixed to the shaft, the blocks can be used for one intended purpose.
Thus, there remains a need for a toy system that is provided with one or more toy structures, such as a balance, a stringer, and a pegboard. The system would include toy components such as blocks, rings, and the like, that can be interchangeably used with each toy structure.